404 Economy

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marty 404

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Fellow Frogger
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Hi I have been driving my 404 sedan which is has standard 1600 motor and drive train I have just filled it up with 91 unleaded it took 37 litres to travel 210 miles 21 miles per gallon or 11 litres per 100 km which is not good ,reviews say to expect 28 miles per gallon on average ,the engine is ok in good tune and has plenty of go.
The only non standard part is the carburettor that is a Chinese 34 bipa solex copy.
What mileage should I expect.
Marty
 
marty 404 said:
Hi I have been driving my 404 sedan which is has standard 1600 motor and drive train I have just filled it up with 91 unleaded it took 37 litres to travel 210 miles 21 miles per gallon or 11 litres per 100 km which is not good ,reviews say to expect 28 miles per gallon on average ,the engine is ok in good tune and has plenty of go.
The only non standard part is the carburettor that is a Chinese 34 bipa solex copy.
What mileage should I expect.
Marty
Click to expand...

If it doesn't ping on 91 it must have retarded ignition timing.
 
Thanks Graham it doesn't ping I will try advancing the timing will paying extra for 95 Ron be worth while what were cars of this generation originally designed to run on I,am using valve saver every fill
 
97 leaded. Valve master has nothing to do with octane rating just adds lubrication to the valves.
 
Make sure the points gap is 16 thou too. Correct timing is when turning the dissy ACW the engine stops having a strangled sound and runs smoothly. Don't advance to the point where the revs start to increase and the exhaust starts making popping sounds.
 
When living in Vancouver in the eighties, a very hard driven 404C with injection had a lifetime average in the city of 11.5 L/100 km. On the open road at 60 MPH it would do 8.
 
I will try and drive gently on this tank then fill up with 97 Ron and advance the timing and see what difference it makes.
Marty
 
Try using the 8mm rod through the bell housing to set the timing. Turn the engine on the crank handle with an 8mm screwdriver or rod down the hole on the bell housing which is more anti clockwise (the one that is harder to get to), make sure the screwdriver or rod is free to move up and down. The screwdriver will drop into a slot on the flywheel when the engine is in the correct spot to adjust the distributor timing.
Now, loosen the distributor until it is easy to turn but not so loose that it slops around. Turn clockwise a fair bit, then anti clockwise until the points just open, you may be able to see a spark, or use an ohmmeter. Tighten the distributor and timing is now set.
 
GRAHAM WALLIS said:
Try using the 8mm rod through the bell housing to set the timing. Turn the engine on the crank handle with an 8mm screwdriver or rod down the hole on the bell housing which is more anti clockwise (the one that is harder to get to), make sure the screwdriver or rod is free to move up and down. The screwdriver will drop into a slot on the flywheel when the engine is in the correct spot to adjust the distributor timing.
Now, loosen the distributor until it is easy to turn but not so loose that it slops around. Turn clockwise a fair bit, then anti clockwise until the points just open, you may be able to see a spark, or use an ohmmeter. Tighten the distributor and timing is now set.
Click to expand...

I recall that method of setting the timing on my 404 (when I had one). Still have the slightly bent screwdriver which was the result of forgetting to remove it from the bell housing before activating the starter motor! :)

Ian.
 
My bet is that there are thousands of bent screwdrivers belonging to forum owners who have done this at least once.
 
I had a look at the distributor to see if there was anything obviously wrong and found the rotor was loose on the shaft not to worry I fitted a spare only to find it loose as well ,from an old motor another was found this rotor has a spring built into an indent in the back of the plastic and is a firm fit are there different distributor and rotor combinations out there ?
From my local parts supplier [Cheapa auto spares] I bought a set of points and was told they where the second last pair in the country from that supplier . With new points and plugs gapped and fitted it was running but very advanced I have retarded it to the point it is not pinging or hunting but under load its not happy .I do not have a timing light but by adjusting the timing counter clock wise to advance it it is getting better. My questions are 1. on 92 octane fuel will it ever be happy and even if set to correct timing will it run properly ,next fill will be 97 octane .2. what is the relationship between octane and timing I would have thought that the higher octane the more you need to retard the timing it seems the opposite is the case.
I hope this makes sense.
Marty 404
 
marty 404 said:
I had a look at the distributor to see if there was anything obviously wrong and found the rotor was loose on the shaft not to worry I fitted a spare only to find it loose as well ,from an old motor another was found this rotor has a spring built into an indent in the back of the plastic and is a firm fit are there different distributor and rotor combinations out there ?
From my local parts supplier [Cheapa auto spares] I bought a set of points and was told they where the second last pair in the country from that supplier . With new points and plugs gapped and fitted it was running but very advanced I have retarded it to the point it is not pinging or hunting but under load its not happy .I do not have a timing light but by adjusting the timing counter clock wise to advance it it is getting better. My questions are 1. on 92 octane fuel will it ever be happy and even if set to correct timing will it run properly ,next fill will be 97 octane .2. what is the relationship between octane and timing I would have thought that the higher octane the more you need to retard the timing it seems the opposite is the case.
I hope this makes sense.
Marty 404
Click to expand...

Higher octane just means you can use more advance without pinging.
 
That sounds like terrible fuel economy, but I'm amazed it is even running at all on 91 unleaded. Try 98 premium. I used to get around 30mpg in my 404 with the 1600 motor, at the time leaded gave way to unleaded. The only 403s and 404s that performed as badly as that for me were running on 3 cylinders!
 
Worry less about mileage, just enjoy the drive of a classic.
Get Korean non classic to save fuel:bounce:
 
Ok I filled the tank from empty with 98 octane then drove the 404 more economically including a trip to Brisbane on the m1 and achieved 231 miles on 30.8 Lt's giving a much better 28.3 miles/gallon or 8.3Lt / hundred km. IMG_0336.JPG
 
Something worth checking
How are you converting litres to gallons....using a conversion of 1 litre =0.219969 (imperial)gallons you might get some better or different results.
Use the yankee small gallon you'll get worse mpg numbers.
 
Yeah Mike I thought so ...
we need to give our old 404's a bit of a start by using the "Ozzy" (imperial) gallon ;)
 
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